


"I didn't know you cared"

by BonfireBright



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternative Perspective, Episode: s04e01-02 The Darkest Hour, Fluff, Gwaine Being Gwaine (Merlin), M/M, Minor Gwaine/Percival (Merlin), Older Characters, Post-Episode: s04e02 The Darkest Hour, percylovesgwaine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:41:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22446550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BonfireBright/pseuds/BonfireBright
Summary: Percival is head over heels with Gwaine. And Gwaine is in love with Percy in return. But of course neither of them know about the other. They finally figure each other out with the help of the Dorocha. Happy fluff. Alternative ending to The Darkest Hour: parts 1 and 2. One shot.
Relationships: Gwaine/Percival (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 101





	"I didn't know you cared"

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little ramble about two of my favourite characters from Merlin.   
> This little story came to me after rewatching The Darkest Hour parts 1 and 2 (Season 4 episodes 1&2) and being very sad that Percy and Gwaine didn't miraculously get together this time when Percy saved Gwaine from the Dorocha attack.   
> Please leave kudos and comments, I'm still new at this. Comments = me adding to the story and making it more than just a oneshot.

In his heart of hearts, Arthur knew. Arthur knew that Merlin was magical. Not that Merlin had actual magic; Arthur would remain an unobservant clot-poll, as Merlin liked to refer to him, for a good few years to come. But deep down, Arthur knew that the acerbic gibes and daily banter between himself and Merlin were more than just friendship, it is what initially bound them together. After all, the emotions of love and hate are not too far removed.   
*****  
Percy also knew. Not about Merlin having magic, Percy had accepted the fact that Merlin was the strange glue that bound everyone in Camelot together and that he did not need to ask questions from day one. Percy knew about the magic that one person could cast over another. It came as no surprise to him therefore when he noticed Arthur’s incredibly confused (and often frustrated) expression whenever Merlin was around. Arthur had it bad. The stubborn clot-poll (Percy had decided to take on this Merlin-ism with gusto) just had to admit it to himself.   
*****  
The magic that was cast over Percy was years in the making. A charm so strong it clung to him like a spider’s web, drawing him in and capturing him so completely he could hardly remember a time when he was not.   
*****  
He was always hyper-aware of the oft-aptly-named comedic relief of the group of knights, Gwaine. When running drills, Percy would always be sure to align himself with Gwaine, he couldn’t stomach the idea of fighting him, even in practice. In the armoury, his place was beside Gwaine. Gwaine never mentioned it, but he had an old shoulder wound from one of his many bar fights which gave him trouble on occasion when trying to extract himself from his heavy armour. Percy also never mentioned it when he would quietly, and without comment or jest, help Gwaine remove the offending piece of armour. It was completely expected therefore that when Gwaine dawdled behind the others when fighting off the Dorocha that Percy knew. Percy threw himself towards Gwaine, only hoping that the sheer weight of him would send the slighter man to the ground quickly enough to avoid the utterly horrific Dorocha. Gwaine’s dry sarcastic comment mere seconds after this near death experience was also most certainly expected. What was not expected, from either man, was Percy’s reaction. Using every last bit of the adrenaline pumping through his veins Percy leaned down and, so quickly that anyone watching may have missed it, pecked the surprised Gwaine on his partly open lips. But the Dorocha were still on the attack and now was not the time to discuss Percy’s actions.  
*****  
The Samhain rift had been healed but Lancelot was dead. Now was a time to mourn and grieve and Percy wanted that so badly. He missed his friend and wanted to pay Lancelot’s memory the proper respect, but along with his sorrow he also felt fear. Fear about what he had done and what it would mean. The fear that Gwaine would be furious, that he would tell the others. That he would be shunned and scorned was too much for Percy to bear on top of the loss of his friend. After the ceremony for Lance, he walked sombrely around the castle grounds and slowly made his way back to his chambers. If he had known who was waiting for him there he may have walked more quickly.   
*****  
Gwaine knew. Now. He had thought his feelings about Percy had always been one sided. He knew that most of the men of Camelot preferred the company of women and he had presumed, apparently misguidedly, that Percy was included in that assumption. Gwaine had never put much stock into the idea; only allowing one’s self access to the opposite sex seemed like a terrible waste to him. Don’t get him wrong, Gwaine loved women, but he also loved men. Especially one man; one very sweet, very dangerous, very tall man. And after all these years of talking himself out of love with Percival. Gwaine may have actually slapped his forehead but with a questioning glance from Leon he decided (perhaps for the first time ever) that now was not the time to be drawing attention to himself. Gwaine made straight towards Percy after Lance’s ceremony but the other man was clearly flustered when he saw Gwaine wending his way through the crowd and made a quick get away through the kitchen gardens. ‘Fine’ Gwaine thought to himself, he knew Percy liked time alone to think, ‘let him wallow for a bit, but he’s not getting out of this conversation that easily’.   
*****  
When Percy finally pushed open the doors to his chambers he was in a foul mood. The more he’d thought on the situation, the more impossible it became. He would simply have to leave Camelot in disgrace. But when he looked up from his feet, he saw something to make his mood change very quickly. Sitting cross-legged with bare-feet on his bed, his boots and Camelot cape strewn across his floor was a very smug looking Gwaine. With his face burning as if he had just passed through at least two of the nine circles of hell, Percy started,  
‘Gwaine, I…’  
‘You like me,’ said Gwaine knowingly, grinning winningly at the utterly mortified Percy who didn’t notice the grin at all at he was looking decidedly back at his feet.   
‘Gwaine…’ Percy tried again, absolutely positive at this stage that the Dorocha had actually killed him and this was a very strange form of afterlife torture.   
‘Let’s make this easier, shall we?’ purred Gwaine walking slowly but surely towards Percy who was still rooted to the spot by the door. Percy suddenly noticed that Gwaine’s bare feet were now directly in front of his some-what larger boots.   
‘I like you too,’ said Gwaine, almost shyly (although that couldn’t be right, Percy thought, Gwaine was not shy. About anything), ‘I have liked you since always.’   
With that revelation, Percy’s eyes shot up and met Gwaine’s properly for the first time since that first almost-kiss. Percy went to try his words again,   
‘Gwa…’ but before he could even get the other man’s name out, Gwaine had reached up and pulled Percy down by the neck and kissed him. Kissed him so thoroughly that if you asked Percy what his name was at that precise moment, he would not have been able to tell you.   
When the two finally pulled back to catch their breaths Percy spoke the words, very softly so as not to break the delicious spell he found himself suddenly living in, ‘I’ve liked you since always too.’  
With a deeply appealing chuckle, Gwaine responded, ‘Well it seems we have some time to make up for Perce,’ and with that, Gwaine somehow manage to manoeuvre the much larger man towards the bed. Percy, always the brawn and muscle in all situations, found he quite liked letting Gwaine do all the heavy lifting for a change. His mood, so bleak and desolate only moments ago had shifted to somewhere within the realms of delightedly confused and practically giddy.


End file.
